The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

1970. Italy/West Germany. Written and directed by Dario Argento. With Tony Musante, Eva Renzi. Argento's directorial debut is a masterpiece of suspense, as famous for its voluptuous and symbolic use of color (unforgettable shades of red and yellow) and music (a brilliant score by Ennio Morricone) as it is for its blend of surreal violence, mystery, and eroticism. Set in a modernist Rome drawn entirely from Argento's uncanny imagination, and evoking a sense of urban alienation through shadow and reflections, the film centers on an American writer who witnesses a brutal assault and must uncover the identity of the assailant to prove his own innocence. Preserved by Cineteca Nazionale, Rome. In Italian; English subtitles. 97 min.

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